Different types of cartons and shipping containers exist for a variety of different products and purposes. Shipping containers for various elongate products are known, and include containers for stalk produce. Conventional containers for stalk produce, such as celery, include rectangular cartons having gapped bottoms formed from folded flaps. The bottom flaps are often gapped as an economy measure to conserve carton material. The bottom flaps are typically secured in a folded configuration using metal stitches or staples. Such conventional containers are generally time-consuming to erect from folded blanks, due in part to the time involved with installing the metal staples.
Further, conventional containers for elongate materials, such as stalk produce, typically are designed to be loaded from a major end. For example, a rectangular corrugated paperboard carton for stalk produce often includes flaps at its major ends that are folded and secured for shipping. The major ends are generally larger than the remaining sidewalls. Because the major ends cover a larger area, any pressure applied to the inside of the carton conveys a larger force to the major ends than the smaller sidewalls. As such, when overpacked these major end flaps often disengage, which can permit the contents to spill. This is particularly prevalent during shipping and handling of the overpacked cartons. Using metal stitches to secure the major flaps can exacerbate the problem, as these stitches often pop-out when overpacked.
Because time spent assembling empty cartons and sealing filled cartons is time lost from the loading process, it is important to reduce time spent on such processes. Further, time spent cleaning-up spilled products and the loss of spilled materials themselves can be expensive. Many conventional cartons require time-consuming steps to initially assemble the carton, as well as to seal the filled cartons. Further, conventional elongate-materials containers, which are typically loaded through their major ends, often fail during shipping and handling. Accordingly, a need exists for an improved elongate-materials shipping container and method for loading and shipping the elongate materials.